Qazvin is a pleasant city with a wonderfully restored caravanserai-turned-arts precinct, some quirky museums and a handful of decent eating options. Famed for carpets and seedless grapes, it was once the capital of all Iran, but for most foreign travellers it’s primarily the staging point …
Even by Iran’s super-hospitable standards, Sanandaj is a remarkably friendly city. It’s the capital of Kordestan province, a good base for visits to Marivan, and a great place to learn more about Kurdish history and culture. You’ll see plenty of men wearing traditional cummerbunds and …
On a high plain, surrounded by stark, eroded hills, the modest city of Zanjan makes the perfect base for wider explorations. The architectural wonder of Soltaniyeh is nearby, while the battered hoodoos of Behestan Castle and the bizarrely striped Colourful Mountains lie further afield. Enticingly …
Biblical clues point to the Ajichay River flowing out of the Garden of Eden, which places Tabriz at the gates of paradise. Long a buffer between empires, Tabriz’ historical heritage and Silk Road pedigree is no more evident than in its thriving bazaar, one of …
At the foot of the Sabalan Mountains lies a unique natural spa region with numerous hot mineral springs of various temperatures renowned for their therapeutic values. Sareyn or Sareyn is a small city near Ardabil in the Northwest of Iran. Sareyn is known for its …
Long a gateway to the historic cities and dry mountains of eastern Azerbaijan from the low-lying, fecund Caspian, Ardabil makes for an interesting stopover. The Unesco-listed Sheikh Safi-od-Din Mausoleum is by far its greatest attraction, but there’s a scattering of other minor sights. On crisp, …
Possibly the most scenic spot on the Caspian coast, Ramsar is where the jungle-clad lower ridges of the snow-topped Alborz tumble into the sea. It’s a verdant, photogenic area, lush with orange groves, and there are walking trails into the nearby hills. Time seems to …
Kerman Province is located in south-eastern of Iran; it is the largest province in Iran. Kerman is the capital city of Kerman province. It is the largest and most developed city in the Kerman Province and the most important city in South-East Iran. Kerman is …
Mashhad is Iran’s holiest and second-largest city. Its raison d’être and main sight is the beautiful, massive and ever-growing Haram (shrine complex) commemorating the AD 818 martyrdom of Shiite Islam’s eighth Imam, Imam Reza. The pain of Imam Reza’s death is still felt very personally …
Iran’s second-holiest city after Mashhad, Qom (Ghom) is home to both the magnificent Hazrat-e Masumeh shrine and the hardline clerics who have ruled the country since 1979. Shiite scholars and students come from across the world to study in its madrasehs (schools) and browse in its famous …
